Staff development by school management teams (SMTs) for implementation of OBE in primary schools

Abstract:

During the 1990s, the newly-elected democratic government in South Africa
sought to make redress for the past and strove to implement a single new
education system. Outcomes-based education (OBE) was chosen to be the
new model by which success would be guaranteed for all recipients. Clearly,
this approach constitutes a radical break from the past and has required a
great deal of educator training in order to facilitate the process.
The re-training of educators in the new OBE curriculum has been undertaken
through the cascade model. Time constraints, insufficient funding and poor
training of the Education Department's facilitators have hampered this
process and have led to the unsatisfactory implementation of OBE in many
South African schools.
This research focused on the experiences of primary school educators in
implementing the new curriculum as well as on the type of training received.
The role of the School Management Team in providing and supporting staff
development in order to drive the successful implementation of OBE was
also explored.
The literature study revealed that there is often a disparity between the
intended results of policy implementation and what actually occurs. The
implementation of OBE in other countries appears to have also been
problematic and that many lessons could be learned from these experiences.
In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the reality of OBE
implementation, the research design chosen was qualitative, exploratory,
descriptive and contextual, using the following research methods to gather
the empirical data: a literature study and individual interviews with practising
educators.
Four major categories emerged from the data analysis, namely:
• The type of training received
The quality of Departmental training given to educators appears to
have been poor due to inadequately qualified trainers. NGOs are often
seen to have better capacity to train than the Department of
Education.
• Educators' perceptions of OBE
These were largely negative due to confusion and initial poor training,
although there is a willingness to embrace the concept of OBE.
• Problems experienced in implementing OBE
The curriculum document is confusing to many educators and has
consequently hampered implementation. Constant change as the
Education Department has tried to streamline the curriculum, as well
as practical issues such as class size, paperwork and discipline, have
caused educator stress. Resources have also had a financial
implication in the successful implementation of OBE.
• The role of the School Management Team in educator development
The introduction of OBE has meant that SMTs need to build the
capacity of their schools for effective change. The importance of
collaboration and the sharing of best practice cannot be underestimated
in light of the poor training and lack of resources. However,
the use of outside support needs to be weighed against the danger of
increasing dependency on external programmes.